Janie Boschma

It’s that time of year again. Leaves are changing color, the air is crisp and pumpkins are showing up on doorsteps. Yes, Halloween is only a week away. For many people, it is about two things: candy and scary movies. Good candy is easy to come by, as anyone with a sweet tooth can tell you. Unfortunately, good scary movies are not as easy to come by. Fortunately, a good scary movie is coming to campus this week, “Night of the Living Dead.” However, if you are seeking something other than sequels and remakes at your local movie theater, good luck! This year, I thought the end of the world was here when a remake of “Halloween” came out, in August no less. Now comes “Saw IV” and soon there will be a remake of “Friday the 13th.” Where has all the spirit of horror gone?

Recently I opted for the film “Red Eye” by horror maestro Wes Craven, who is better known for “Scream” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Two things jumped out at me. First, there were almost no special effects or action. Second, the terror in the film relies solely on how the two lead actors, Cillian Murphy and Rachel McAdams, interact. Gore can be good if it’s done right. The movies “Scream” and “Evil Dead” come to mind. “Red Eye” was the last really intelligent horror film I have seen. What is a horror geek to do? Long gone are the days of out of nowhere horror successes such as “The Blair Witch Project” and “Halloween.” Now on the marquee at the local movie theater: sequels, remakes, and more sequels. Does anyone have any original ideas anymore? Yes, if you dig hard enough.

Apparently, we are not only outsourcing regular jobs in the United States, but good horror films as well. For example, a few years ago “The Ring” was all the rage. It was a remake of the Japanese film “Ringu.” Then a few years later the same thing happened with an American remake of “The Grudge.”

“The Grudge” in the original form was bad to start with, but “Ringu” was mesmerizing and a vast improvement over “The Ring.” Finally, horror films with real bite! After that, I went to the Korean film “Oldboy” (easily one of the most shocking and repulsing endings ever), films by Italian director Dario Argento (“Suspiria” and “The Bird with the Crystal Plumage”) and several more Japanese films (“Audition” being the cream of the crop). Yes, you can have a good movie with subtitles!

The recent trend in the United States in regards to horror films has been to be as gory as possible and that that alone will sell tickets. As case in point would be the recent remake of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Not only was it the worst remake I have ever seen, it was also the most repulsive in terms of over the top gore. Film critic Roger Ebert likened it to a “carnival geek show” and I have to agree. It had none of the originality or off the wall style of Tobe Hooper’s original. The low-budget, pseudo-documentary style of the original gave it its juice. Basically, the formula has become either remake a classic and make it even gorier, or make a movie with no characters to care about and put them in increasingly horrific situations hoping the audience can stomach it enough to turn a profit. As “Red Eye” demonstrated, you can be terrified by two people interacting on an airplane with little action and gore and have it be all about suspenseful scares.

We, the film-going public, need to show filmmakers that this is not acceptable. The public is often smarter than the dreadful movies being shoved down their throats. Do yourself a favor, the next time a “geek show” movie shows up and you want a good cinematic scare, go to either a different movie or rent a better one, such as this week’s campus film feature, “Night of the Living Dead.” Your brain and stomach will thank you later.

Sitzman is a junior print journalism major and a guest columnist for The Spectator.